Tax Allocation Districts

Tax Allocation Districts (TAD) are established for the purpose of catalyzing investment by financing certain redevelopment activities in underdeveloped or blighted areas using public dollars. Redevelopment costs are financed through the pledge of future incremental increases in property taxes generated by the resulting new development. Typically, upon creation, TADs have vacant commercial and residential properties, blighted conditions and numerous vacant buildings or are in need of significant environmental remediation.

The 1985 Georgia Redevelopment Powers Law gave additional powers to local municipalities in order to facilitate the redevelopment of blighted or economically depressed areas. One of the powers granted to local governments is the ability to issue tax allocation bonds to finance infrastructure and other redevelopment costs within a tax allocation district.

South Columbus River District | TAD #8

The proposed Tax Allocation District #8 is intended to support the development of two vital projects for the South Columbus River District: the River District Resort and Elliott's Walk. The River District Resort is proposed on two large vacant parcels consisting of approximately 144 acres located to the east of the Chattahoochee River and the west of Bull Creek. Elliott's Walk is proposed as an affordable housing development on approximately 38 acres. The proposed TAD #8 will support the development of the River District Resort into a major mixed-use commercial and residential development and the Elliott's Walk development will create approximately 100 affordable housing units.

Midland Commons District #7 | TAD #7

The purpose of the proposed TAD #7 is to support development of the planned Midland Commons mixed use commercial development on the former site of the Swift denim plant and to leverage economic opportunities at the intersection of J.R. Allen Parkway (Highway 80) and Manchester Expressway (Alt 27) in Columbus, GA. The TAD district also includes Flat Rock Park and surrounding greenspace including a future bike trail.

Midland Commons District #7

Columbus Consolidated Government Redevelopment Plan

Midland Commons Tax Allocation District #7

Attachments, comparisons, and concept drawing

MidTown East and MidTown West | TAD #5 and #6

The redevelopment area described in this Plan includes nearly 8,500 properties covering roughly 3,250 acres (within individual tax parcels). The significant factors regarding this area are: (a) it contains more than 19.3 million SF of buildings with a total full market value of more than $1.25 billion; (b) the area as a whole includes more than 10% of the Consolidated Government’s total tax digest; (c) despite the fact that the redevelopment area is one of the most densely developed parts of Columbus, property values are relatively low, with full market values averaging $384,000 per developed acre; (d) residentially zoned properties in particular have very low average market values, averaging below $71,600 per parcel; and (e) general fund property tax collections from real estate within this area averages only $3,900 per acre. Substantial portions of the redevelopment area clearly exhibit several characteristics of disinvestment and under-utilization, which are prerequisite to the establishment of Tax Allocation Districts.

MidTown East and MidTown West

Columbus Consolidated Government Redevelopment Plan

MidTown East and MidTown West Tax Allocation Districts

Fort Benning Technology Park | TAD #1

The purpose of the proposed TAD #1 is to support development of the planned Benning Technology Park, a proposed business park which is being designed to leverage economic opportunities created by the presence of Fort Benning in Muscogee County. The proposed 183-acre development site is located between 1-185 and Fort Benning and owned by the Development Authority of Columbus. Planned interchange improvements to 1-185 to the north and south of this property will, for the first time, make this area accessible for development. The TAD will enable the Technology Park's master developer to overcome deficient infrastructure, inadequate access, off-site costs and other impediments which have made development of this property economically unfeasible to date. By leveraging the City's redevelopment powers, the intent of this plan is to achieve a higher quality, density of development and resulting increased job creation in a much shorter timeline, than would be feasible absent of the proposed TAD #1.

Fort Benning Technology Park

Columbus Consolidated Government Redevelopment Plan

Fort Benning Technology Park

River District Development Plan

In total, the proposed three TADs contain 1,975 parcels totaling just under 846 acres, with a taxable real estate digest of $106 million. There are 1,056 existing structures with a combined 9 million square feet of building space in the three TADs with a median building age of nearly 93 years. This acreage estimate does not include streets, rights of way and other land for which no assessment records are available.

Together, the value of the properties in the TADs represents approximately 2.4% of the City's tax digest, well under the 10% maximum limit for all TADs in the City, as required by Georgia's Redevelopment Powers Law.

The City of Columbus River District Redevelopment Plan env1s1ons various potential redevelopment within the three TADs areas that reflect community objectives as the type of development they would like to see in the respective areas over the next decade.

River District Redevelopment Plan

Columbus Consolidated Government Redevelopment Plan